Online Obituaries Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004 2004 obituaries    2003 obituaries 2002 obituaries    2001 obituaries 2000 obituaries    1999 obituaries The Journal Online   Experience New Ulm Click here for today's obituaries    Laura J. Egesdal , 52, of Gaylord, died Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004, at her home, in Gaylord, after a courageous battle with cancer.    Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m., at the American Lutheran Church, in Gaylord, with interment in the Gaylord Municipal Cemetery.    Visitation is 2-8 p.m. on Monday, and 7:30-8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, at the Egesdal Funeral Home, in Gaylord. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services, at the church.    Laura Jean Egesdal was born on March 23, 1951, in Standish, MI, to Clark and Joyce (Packard) Geiger.    Laura graduated from Arenac Eastern High School, in Twining, MI, in 1969. She moved to Minneapolis to attend McConnell Airline School. She was employed by the United Airlines, as a flight attendant, until a collapsed lung forced her to leave the airline business. She then worked at the home office of Lutheran Brotherhood in communications, in Minneapolis.    In 1970, Laura married Klaus Grosshans and moved to Gaylord. The couple divorced in 1996.    Laura worked at the Gaylord Lakeview Home as a Dietary Assistant. She attended the University of Minnesota and received a license in quality assurance for food processing. She attended Sister Rosalind Geffre School of Professional Massage, in Mankato. She was an Office Manager and Assistant Director at the Egesdal Funeral Home, in Gaylord, until ill health forced an early retirement.    On December 9, 2000, Laura was united in marriage to Elden Egesdal, at the American Lutheran Church, in Gaylord.    Laura was a member of the American Lutheran Church, in Gaylord. She enjoyed spending time with and visiting with her family and friends. Laura loved making special food and baking special desserts for her family, doing massages, traveling, shopping, dancing, gardening, and attending to her home. Laura was known for being a big Elvis fan. She had a special love in serving families at the Egesdal Funeral Home.    Laura is preceded in death by her father, Clark Geiger; daughter, Heidi Grosshans, in infancy; father-in-law, Earl Egesdal; former father-in-law, Oscar Grosshans, and brother-in-law, Rev. Bruce Engebretson.    Laura is survived by her: husband, Elden Egesdal of Gaylord; children, Christopher Grosshans of Burnsville and Melissa Grosshans of Marshall; mother, Joyce Geiger of Twining, MI; sisters, Cindy Williams and her husband, Gary, of Mason, MI and Debi Chapman and her husband, Fred of Turner, MI; stepchildren: John Egesdal and his wife, Mary Anne of Hoffman Estates, IL, David Egesdal and his wife, Cindy of Brooklyn Park, Tom Egesdal and his wife, Kerry of Seymour, WI, Ruth Solie and her husband, Tom of Rockford, IL and James Egesdal of Shakopee; six stepgrandchildren; mother-in-law: Laura B. Egesdal of Blue Earth; brother-in-law, Sanford Egesdal of Minneapolis; sisters-in-law, Karen Trelstad and her husband, Rev. Gordon of Red Wing and Miriam Engebretson of Anchorage, AK; father of Laura's children, Klaus Grosshans of Gaylord; former mother-in-law, Clara Grosshans of Minneapolis.    Clarence Meder , 105, of Gibbon, died Friday, Feb. 20, 2004, at the Winthrop Good Samaritan Center in Winthrop.    Funeral Service will be 11 a.m., Monday, Feb. 23, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gibbon with burial in the church cemetery.    Visitation is 4-6 p.m. Sunday and from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home in Gibbon. Visitation will continue for one hour prior to the time of service at the church on Monday.    Clarence is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Marilyn and Harlan Spaude of rural Gibbon; a son and daughter-in-law, Harold and Lillian Meder of New London; 16 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.    He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Erna Meder on January 27, 1982; a son, Alvin Meder on October 19, 1975; a brother, Arnold Meder; and a sister, Myrtle Rau.    Clarence was born on Jan. 1, 1899, in Ottertail County to Conrad and Emelia (Hannemann) Meder. On April 8, 1925, he married Erna Howe in Osseo. In 1946 they moved to Gibbon where he managed the Gambles Grocery until 1948. From 1948 until his retirement in 1968 he was the custodian for Gibbon schools. On Oct. 4, 2001, he became a resident of the Lafayette Good Samaritan assisted living. In January 2004 he became a resident of the Winthrop Good Samaritan Home in Winthrop. He was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gibbon.    Eric James Mellingen , 14, of New Ulm, died Wednesday, Feb. 18, as the result of a car accident.    A time to remember Eric will be held Monday in the lecture theater at New Ulm Senior HIgh School, from 6 to 8 p.m.    Eric was born June 2, 1989, to Kevin Mellingen and Carol Erickson in St. Paul.